TRENDING

EPA asks for data center data

GCN tech briefs

By Patrick Marshall

May 02, 2008

The Environmental Protection Agency is working to develop an Energy Star rating system for data centers. The problem is the agency doesn't have any data on which to base recommendations. So EPA is asking public and private data center operators to submit energy data for the effort. The agency wants data center operators willing to participate to submit an expression of interest form by June 1. Instructions for collecting data and the forms for reporting that data are also available at GCN.com/1060. EPA also will be holding webinars to help participants with the process and present preliminary findings as they become available.

Army has its eye on night vision

Kopin has been awarded the first phase of an anticipated $4.2 million contract to improve and produce high-resolution microdisplays for night-vision systems. Kopin's CyberDisplay SXGA LVR is a 0.97- inch-diagonal active-matrix liquid crystal display with 1,280 x 1,024 resolution.

With the integration of an internal heater, it offers nearly instant-on capability at low ambient temperatures with minimal power consumption. The company says the CyberDisplay SXGA LVR will provide the resolution and contrast needed to capture more detailed images than existing displays, and it will also offer the added capability of displaying color maps, color symbology and sensor-fused imagery.

www.kopin.com

IronKey launches USB flash with remote management

IronKey has announced the release of IronKey Enterprise, a new USB drive that can be managed remotely via a centralized administrative console to ensure enforcement of security policies. In addition to the new remote-management capability, IronKey Enterprise devices feature a rugged, waterproof metal casing.

The devices also are protected with a cryptochip and authentication via public-key infrastructure.

www.ironkey.com

RFID readers with range

One problem with radio frequency identification labels is that they are often on crates or other objects that are difficult to reach with an RFID reader. PowerID offers a new solution to that problem in the form of its new EPC Gen 2 RFID. These devices incorporate a thin and flexible battery that boosts the read range of the labels. The labels operate in the ultrahigh- frequency range of 850-960 MHz and support standards-based Gen 2 RFID readers. The company expects the labels to be available in mass quantities during the third quarter of 2008.

www.power-id.com

Platforms in the clouds

The name is a bit unwieldy, but anyone looking to take computing into the cloud might want to check out 3Tera's Cloudware Computing Without Compromise. The platform-independent architecture can let developers build and run large-scale applications in the cloud regardless of operating system and middleware.

According to 3Tera, the new architecture will initially support the most popular operating systems ' Linux, Solaris and Windows ' and is aimed at clients who want to explore the extreme scale and flexibility of cloud computing infrastructures quickly and easily.

www.3tera.com

HP updates mobile management

Hewlett-Packard is shipping a new version of its Enterprise Mobility Suite that allows over-the-air configuration of mobile devices and remote diagnosis and repair. EMS also adds Windows Mobile 6.1 support and allows administrators to remotely disable SMS/MMS, IMAP and POP e-mail, cameras, and Bluetooth connectivity.

The new auto-heal feature initiates periodic checks and fixes issues on its own so neither the help desk nor the user has to initiate management.

Fabricated at the IBM Trusted Foundry in cooperation with the Trusted Access Program Office and sponsored by the Navy, the Acalis CPU872 combines defenses against malicious circuits and other Trojan horses and effective and resilient run-time techniques to protect against tampering and reverse engineering without affecting performance.